the dogs. His conversation was
peppered with the quaintest Americanisms, and it is because I despair of
reproducing these that, at whatever loss of vividness, I mean to narrate
the story he told me a little later in my own words. Moreover he was
unable to frame a sentence without an oath, though a good-natured one,
and his speech, albeit offensive only to prudish ears, in print would
seem coarse. He was a mirth-loving man, and perhaps that accounted not a
little for his successful amours; since women, for the most part
frivolous creatures, are excessively bored by the seriousness with
which men treat them, and they can seldom resist the buffoon who makes
them laugh. Their sense of humour is crude. Diana of Ephesus is always
prepared to fling prudence to the winds for the red-nosed comedian who
sits on his hat. I realised that Captain Butler had charm. If I had not
known the tragic story of the shipwreck I should have thought he had
never had a care in his life.

Our host had rung the bell on our entrance and now a Chinese cook came
in with more glasses and several bottles of soda. The whisky and the
captain's empty glass stood already on the table. But when I saw the
Chinese I positively started, for he was certainly the ugliest man I had
ever seen. He was very short, but thick-set, and he had a bad limp. He
wore a singlet and a pair of trousers that had been white, but were now
filthy, and, perched on a shock of bristly, grey hair, an old tweed
deer-stalker. It would have been grotesque on any Chinese, but on him it
was outrageous. His broad, square face was very flat as though it had
been bashed in by a mighty fist, and it was deeply pitted with smallpox;
but the most revolting thing in him was a very pronounced harelip which
had never been operated on, so that his upper lip, cleft, went up in an
angle to his nose, and in the opening was a huge yellow fang. It was
horrible. He came in with the end of a cigarette at the corner of his
mouth, and this, I do not know why, gave him a devilish expression.

He poured out the whisky and opened a bottle of soda.

"Don't drown it, John," said the captain.

He said nothing, but handed a glass to each of us. Then he went out.

"I saw you lookin' at my Chink," said Butler, with a grin on his fat,
shining face.

"I should hate to meet him on a dark night," I said.

"He sure is homely," said the captain, and for some reason he seemed to
say it with a peculiar satisfaction. "